- Location: Suffolk, VA
- Number of Stores: 1
- Years in Business: 9
- Owner: Jane & Mike Castello
- Staff: 5
- Tanning Units: 12 (Ergoline & Soltron)
- Tanning Levels: 5
- Lotion Brands: Designer Skin, Devoted Creations & Supre Tan
- Other Services: Boutique Sales, Custom Spray-tans (Norvell Skin Solutions) & FIT Bodywrap
- Training: Sun is Life®
- Distribution Partner: Four Seasons Sales & Service
People in Suffolk, VA who want to look and feel good need to visit the oasis … Tan Oasis, that is.
As a longtime tanner who yearned to be in business for herself, Jane Castello decided to open Tan Oasis. After a long and successful career in sporting goods sales, she was ready to make the move to sun business entrepreneur after hearing that the owner of a local tanning salon was looking to sell her business. As Jane explained, “It was a good salon with solid traffic flow, but the owner wanted to sell after being in business for a year.” Jane and her husband Mike purchased the four-unit salon in November 2006 and immediately set about remodeling, adding two more units and renovating its décor. Their efforts transformed Tan Oasis into the kind of modern salon she was proud to own and, more importantly, one that tanners want to frequent.
After two years at the original Tan Oasis location, Jane and Mike realized that six units and 1,200 square-feet just weren’t going to be enough to keep up with the demand for their services. “We were getting about 150 people a day,” she recalled, “and it was a struggle to keep up. Around this time, some space became available on the other side of our shopping plaza and we knew it was time to make the move.” The couple relocated to a 3,000 square-foot location and added five more tanning units as well as custom spray-tanning, bodywrap services and boutique sales. Jane added, “Having these products and services are a big help with both add-on sales and attracting new clients.”
Jane and Mike are two of the thousands of salon operators who’ve taken IST Magazine’s Sun is Life® Training and Certification. Of the program, Jane says it more than prepared her for salon ownership and she uses what she’s learned every time she’s behind the counter. “It helped educate me, which in turn helps me educate our guests about the tanning process and the importance of moderation. I think all salon owners need to take this program.” Having never tanned before purchasing the salon, Mike Castello also found Sun is Life rather helpful. “It was a great introduction to everything I needed to know to run this business,” he said, “and it taught me so many things I didn’t know.”
As much as she loves owning and operating Tan Oasis, Jane says she’s not ready to open a second location, not now and perhaps never. “I spend nearly all of my time here as it is!” she laughed. “I would like to add more offerings to the salon’s menu though, such as massage and nail services. This would make us even more of a one-stop-shop for our customers.” While she’s working to add these services before 2015, Jane plans to continue enjoying all of the new and current guests who stop by “the Oasis” for their daily dose of happiness. “Every day is like a day at the beach!” she said. ■
